Rather than drag out the site upgrades over a lengthy and tedious amount of time, I've decided to begin the upgrades today. I will be completely finished by Sunday, and when you come back here Monday morning, AKA William will be all shiny and sexy and new. It's gonna look so good here that you'll want to lick the screen. And me. And I wouldn't be mad at either.
Okay, y'all. I am out of control over here. Some of my super amazing upgrades have caused a few . . . snafus. Nothing serious, just time consuming, which is why the postings are so erratic. But, I am soldiering on. I'm going to post the usual standards today - Bar Snacks, Lady's Brunch Burger, Politics Happy Hour, AKA What You're Looking For - but in abbreviated form. Once I get things cleaned up over here, posting will be back to normal.
Thanks for being patient . . . .
For more about True Blood, check out the official website.
The Blood Work boys are back talking about Episode 11 of True Blood:
Pardon my reference to the 90's nonclassic horror movie Pet Sematary, but in this week's Blood Work (much like the True Blood episode that inspired it) we learn that sometimes it's best to leave dead enough alone.And did you guys see that Huck Maddow's replacement the past two nights (NO, not Arianna) Alison Stewart let it slip that she loves the show? Yup.
Yes, much like babyvamp Jessica, Andy has returned from the grave ... with a few noticeable differences. Join us as we discuss the penultimate episode of the ever-wacky vampire series, complete with mysterious social workers, a fresh corpse, and a big reveal months in the making.
Via Charmants: Jon Jonsson, the winner Bravo's Manhunt. This was that guy? I remember that show, but not Jon here. Maybe because he cut his hair. He's way hotter with a haircut.
Click thumbnails to enlarge.
Two NSFW-ish pics after the jump.
Pork here.People! There’s hope! Just when I thought the masses were blindly following a vocoded ring leader, I am shown a chart lineup that proves me very wrong and brings waves of optimism. With her country-girl-next-door sounds and visions, Taylor Swift lassoes the top spot by moving almost 600,000 copies of her second album, Fearless. Only a mere 129,000 of those were digital which shows that people are still flocking to their local record stores . . . or departments.
Nearly 190,000 people demanded their Archuleta and got it as his debut album leaps onto the chart right behind Ms. Swift at No. 2. Atta boy, Davey.
And although T-Pain has claimed the No. 1 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album with 167,000 copies of Thr33 Ringz sold, but that only lands him the No. 4 position on The Billboard 200. Anyone who knows me knows I’m no country bumpkin, but I would choose a little twang over an auto-tuned slice of pointless hip-slop any day.
Guess what else? T.I. has the number one song in the country! Shocking, right? No. Not at all. He and Rihanna knock down another week in the top spot with “Live Your Life.” A couple steps down there is more noteworthy action. Beyonce feels the surge that sends “If I Were A Boy” to No. 3 as the weeks Sales Gainer. B also lands the No. 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song with “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” . . . so, let’s see what this Sasha Fierce can do. Was it just a rush brought on by an SNL appearance and the album’s release date? We’ll see.
Remember to listen to that album you’ve been meaning to listen to, and never forget to enjoy . . .
A View From The Top: A look at what’s sitting atop this week’s Billboard charts, November 29th, 2008
Singles:
-Hot 100: T.I. feat. Rihanna: “Live Your Life”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
-Pop 100: Katy Perry “Hot N Cold”
-Mainstream Top 40: Katy Perry “Hot N Cold”
-Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop: T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”
-Hot Modern Rock Tracks: The Offspring “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid”
-Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: AC/DC “Rock N Roll Train”
-Triple A: Coldplay “Lost!”
-Hot Rap Tracks: T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”
-Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks: Jason Mraz “I’m Yours”
-Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks: David Cook “The Time Of My Life”
-Hot Digital Songs: Beyonce “If I Were A Boy”
-Hot Digital Tracks: Beyonce “If I Were A Boy”
-Rhythmic Top 40: T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”
-Hot Dance Club Play: Dave Aude feat. Sisely Treasure “Grass Is Greener”
-Hot Dance Airplay: Ercola feat. Daniella “Every Word”
-Hot Dance Single Sales: Chester French “She Loves Everybody”
-Pop 100 Airplay: Katy Perry “Hot N Cold”
-Hot 100 Airplay: T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”
-Hot Singles Sales: Coldplay “Lost!”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales: Hustle Boy feat. Mannie “It’s Nuthin’”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
-Hot Adult R&B Airplay: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
-Hot Singles Recurrents: Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents: Keyshia Cole “I Remember”
-Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: Keyshia Cole “I Remember”
-Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents: Brenda Lee “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
-Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles: Taylor Swift “Tell Me Why”
-Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: Laura Izibor “From My Heart To Yours”
-Hot Ringtones: Katy Perryy “Hot N Cold”
-Hot Country Songs: Taylor Swift “Love Story”
Albums:
-The Billboard 200 Albums: Taylor Swift - Fearless
-Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: T-Pain – 33 Ringz
-Top Digital Albums: Taylor Swift - Fearless
-Top Rock Albums: Twilight Soundtrack
-Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums: Twilight Soundtrack
-Top Hard Rock Albums: AC/DC – Black Ice
-Top Internet Albums: Taylor Swift - Fearless
-Top Independent Albums: Various Artists – Winter Wonderland
-Top Electronic Albums: Lady GaGa – The Fame
-Top Rap Albums: T.I. – Paper Trail
-Top Soundtracks: Twilight Soundtrack
-Top Cast Albums: Original Broadway Cast Recording – Wicked
-Top Country Albums: Taylor Swift - Fearless
-Top Heatseekers: Dir En Grey - Uroboros
…on the international front:
-European Hot 100 Singles: Guru Josh Project “Infinity 2008”
-European Top 100 Albums: AC/DC – Black Ice
…and…whipping all others into submission:
-Hot Holdiay Songs: Bing Crosby “White Christmas”
This video was posted by conservative former radio talk show host and anti-Obama documentarian John Ziegler's website HowObamaGotElected. He's trying to convince the world that Obama was elected because everyone who voted for him was woefully misinformed. On his site, Ziegler wrote:
On Election day twelve Obama voters were interviewed extensively right after they voted to learn how the news media impacted their knowledge of what occurred during the campaign. These voters were chosen for their apparent intelligence/verbal abilities and willingness to express their opinions to a large audience. The rather shocking video below seeks to provide some insight into which information broke through the news media clutter and which did not.But Nate Silver, the polling genius of FiveThirtyEight.com, wasn't having it. Silver agreed to a phone interview with Ziegler that didn't go so well. Here is an excerpt:
NS: Would you consider yourself well-informedGo, Nate. The near-Asperger's superhero of the 2008 election used his super-brain to make Ziegler appear as hysterical as he really is.
JZ: I’d consider myself extremely well-informed.
NS: Who are the two senators from South Dakota
JZ: Thune and, uh, Johnson.
NS: Very good. South Carolina?
JZ: Go fuck yourself. I'm done with this interview if you're going to ask me stupid questions like that. Obviously I know who Lindsay Graham is.
NS: Well, since you’re running a website calling people misinformed, I’d like to see if -- there are certain things you’ve said that I would consider misinformed.
JZ: Misinformed? You're a piece of work! You are never going to have the guts to post a representative transcript on your website! I thought you actually ran a legitimate website!
NS: Thank you, have a good day.
JZ: Go fuck yourself.
Frankmusik
"Three Little Words"
(And don't forget that Frank got a little nekkid not too long ago - NSFW)
Watch, listen, and love after the jump.
I know I've been a little out of the loop these past few days, with the internet issues and the site upgrades, but has anyone else seen the trailer for 2012? There is a whole subculture surrounding the year 2012, the last recorded day of the Mayan calendar. The year 2012 is supposed to be the year the world ends.
(I tried to find a movie poster, but apparently there was another movie by the same name, and I'm not sure which poster goes with which movie, so in the spirit of accuracy, I'll just leave it off the post.)
Watch the trailer after the jump.
Kathy Griffin, in what may be a first strike, interviews David Archuleta for myspaceTV. Archuleta turns eighteen next month. Maybe I should put up one of those countdown clocks . . . .
Jump to it.
James Kotecki, that super-witty and super-quick political commenter (I know, but I don't know what other word to use to describe his special brand of political journalism), has a special "Softball" version of his usual online show. In this three minute clip, Kotecki is out-thought, out-maneuvered, and out-hit at every turn by his own guest!
Watch as he gives Emma Thompson a run for her horror money.
I might be a little late to this party, but did you guys see Emma Thompson on David Letterman the other night? She followed that woman who was bitten by a fox while out for a jog and, when the fox wouldn't let go, she wrapped it up with her hoodie. While it was still attached to her arm. Yeah.
So, Emma recreates the scene during her entrance. Spontaneously. I haven't been that freaked out by Emma Thompson since her performance in Dead Again.
Watch the seizure after the jump.
Pork says listen to this:
Sufjan Stevens
"Chicago"
Three ways to do what Pork says
Listen in The Media Bar
Click here to launch the player in a new window so you can listen and browse
Or just do an old-fashioned jump by clicking
Boy, these past two days have been rough posting days! Yesterday, it was the internet. Today, it's the upgrades to the site I've been making behind the scenes. They're taking a little longer than I expected, but they are completely worth it. Check out the new "Related Posts" feature at the bottom of each post's page. (Just click the post title link on any of the posts - for example, you can click "My Apologies" at the top of this post to be taken to this post's page.)There, you'll find links to posts and articles that are, well, related to the post you're on. That way you can find more of what you're looking for!
In the spirit of improvement, I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon installing another new and great feature. If all goes as planned, it'll be up by the end of the day, and I'll be back to the regular posting schedule bright and early.
Make sure to come back to check out all the new features!
Via Pink News
The next President of the United States has published a comprehensive list of action he will take on gay rights.Read all of Obama's promises on his website Change.gov.
In a statement published on the Presidential transition website, Barack Obama and the Vice President-elect, Joe Biden, committed themselves to strengthening federal hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act.
The President-elect also committed to support civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples.
"Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples," the statement read.
Okay, it looks like my internet connection is back up and running, which means I am back up and running. After I realized I couldn't do anything to immediately get things working, I went to a local cafe to have some coffee and wireless. Only this was that everyone else had the same idea. I had to sit on chair with no table and with the laptop actually on my lap. Who does that? I was one jostle away from losing my computer along with my internet access. I worked like that for as long as I could, but eventually I had to head back home to internetize my apartment again.
Can I just say that I was offline for just one day, and I feel like it's been ages. How can so much have happened in just one day?!
I'm just going to jump back in to the river and start swimming. My apologies for what I missed.
Oh, and did you notice that I broke The Media Bar post down into its constituent parts? Better, right?
The New York Times
NYT The Front Page 11/19
Slate's Culture Gabfest
In this week's Culture Gabfest, critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner discuss the Malcolm Gladwell phenomenon, Michelle Obama's role as First Lady and Mom-in-Chief, and the post-Obama buzz kill of Prop 8.
NPR
Tell Me More
Stories: 1) Big Three Automakers Take Their Case To Capitol Hill 2) Mom-In-Chief: Moms Closely Watch Michelle Obama
Audio player after the jump. Or click here to launch the player in a new window so you can listen while you browse. Or, head over to The Media Bar and listen there.
Pork really outdid himself with this one. Yes, it's Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love." It was a number one hit for two weeks at the end of april 1990, which, honestly, doesn't sound right to me. I feel like it was a number one hit for six years straight.
Watch, listen, and love after the jump.
Race to Witch Mountain. Yes. A remake based on the most amazing movie ever made, Escape from Witch Mountain. I watched the trailer from the original, and in my memories it was a lot less Disney and a lot more terrifying. I'm not all that into The Rock, but push come to shove . . . .
The plot summary:
Race to Witch Mountain is a thrilling action-adventure about a hard luck Las Vegas cab driver Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson), whose life is thrown into chaos when apparent 'runaway' teenagers Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) jump into his taxi. He soon realizes his two fares are children with exceptional paranormal powers whom he must protect as they elude a collection of ruthless enemies.
Jump to it!
I thought I'd take just a little break from politics in The Media Bar (don't worry, I'm gonna be catching up today on the politics I missed out on yesterday with my fucked up internet, so don't you worry about any politics shortage here).
Today, we are having some dinosaurs! How cool is this? The National Geographic Channel featured a dinosaur mummy encased in stone! The mummy might contain fossilized bones and skin tissue, and possibly muscle and organs. It's like when that researcher discovered soft tissue in a dinosaur fossil. Only bigger. And better.
Watch it after the jump!
The ladies of The View have had a lot of important things to say about Prop 8, and the issues surrounding this have been complicated, but Elisabeth is beginning to be purposely spread lies. This is the last shred of bigotry that the right can use to focus what remains of their ragtag party. What a disgusting thing to use hatred as a rallying point.
The View needs to get a smart gay person on the panel to discuss this. I'm thinking Wayne Besen.
The video after the jump.
The number of today's posts will be abbreviated while I get my internet up and running.
And what's up with Tuesdays being the technology-fuck-up day?
Pork here.
What’s shaking, AKA Listeners?
You’ll read enough about Beyonce’s I Am Sasha Fierce in your newspaper and/or on just about any other site you’ll visit today, so I’m relieving myself of all Beyonce duties and focusing more on some releases that I’m actually excited about. After hearing 5 of its tracks, I Am Sasha Fierce leaves me not only unexcited, but also uninterested. Sorry, B.
Much more worthy of your eartime this week is Safe Trip Home by Dido. This is her third time around with a full length album and when I first read that she’d be working with Jon Brion, who is responsible for producing some of my all time favorite albums by Aimee Mann, Rufus Wainwright and Fiona Apple, I was surprised and elated. Upon hearing the results of their collaboration, I’m almost overwhelmed. In the span of just three albums Dido has managed to become a voice that can cut through the thickest of my mental preoccupations and reduce me to the most vulnerable of states. The subtle swells in Jon Brion’s production and multiple instrumentations are simply stunning when paired with Dido’s fragile-yet-firm vocals.Both parties seem to be masters in restraint and demonstrate these strengths while painting some of the most beautiful scenes I've encountered this year. One listen to “It Comes And It Goes” and this should be apparent to even the most passive of listeners.
Slow and steady is how “Don’t Believe In Love” is delivered and that’s also how it hits. As a first single, it may lack the initial impact felt by “Here With Me” or “White Flag,” but upon repeated listens, it’s weight is slowly revealed . . . and felt. Once opened, Dido slips you some “Quiet Times” and proves yet again that she can slam you to the floor with the softest of blows. (Listen to it today in our Music Player.) Beauty through simplicity. This album has so much of both. It also has some “additional keyboards/ambience” by Brian Eno, so . . . you can guess what’s going on here.
Sometimes haunting. Sometimes embracing. Often both. In times like these, which seem to be the craziest, it’s music like this that’s necessary to heal you up a bit. It will soothe your soul in the same way that the madness riles it up.
A few weeks back I mentioned that Travis was my second favorite Scottish collective without taking a minute to mention who beats them out. No, it’s not Del Amitri (though I do enjoy them some). It’s not The Proclaimers. Nope, not Snow Patrol or Cocteau Twins (although brilliant as can be). Well, surprise, surprise! It’s none other than Belle and Sebastian. Nothing moved me more than If You’re Feeling Sinister in 1997 and I have been devoted ever since. I had only moved to New York City one month before being instructed by a friend of mine to immediately go to my nearest record store (at that point the HMV on 86th and Lexington) and buy this ground(and heart) breaking album. Er, cassette actually. Shut up. Let’s just say that I’ll never forget listening to it for the first time and desperately trying to keep up with where the music was taking my mind. Places I’d never been. Things I’d never seen. Friends I’d never met. Love I’d never felt. Let me be that friend to you now and urge you to own If You’re Feeling Sinister, which isn’t what’s even on today’s release schedule, but responsible for what would make me obsess about this particular release 11 years later. A collection of their BBC sessions is obviously what makes up The BBC Sessions (1996-2001) and hearing these performances laid out in such a way is more than a treat for fans like us who don’t get regular access to such amazing performances often. B-sides and rarities abound in these live takes that will leave you as numbed as their studio counterparts.And then blah, blah, blah...something about David Cook.
:]
(Take a little time and enjoy . . . ) The List. All new releases for today, Tuesday November 18, 2008. After the jump!
Belle and Sebastian – The BBC Sessions (1996-2001)
Beyonce – I Am Sasha Fierce
The Black Keys – Live at the Crystal Ballroom (DVD)
Chris Botti – Live In Boston
Bring Me The Horizon – Suicide Season
The Byrds – The Notorious Byrd Brothers
David Cook – David Cook
De La Soul – De La Sous Is Dead
Dido – Safe Trip Home
The Doors – Live at The Matrix 1967
False Icons – God Complex (produced by Al Jourgensen)
Foo Fighters – Live at Wembley Stadium (DVD)
Sammy Hagar – Cosmic Universal Fashion
Il Divo – The Promise
Ricky Martin – 17
Paul McCartney – The Space Within Us (Blu-ray)
Mudvayne – The New Game
Nickelback – Dark Horse
Danny O’Keefe – In Time
Luciano Pavarotti – Life in Seven Arias (DVD)
Shontelle – Shontelligence
The Who – The Who at Kilburn 1977 (DVD)
and today’s the day for all you Madonna fans to prepare for 2009 by getting your official 2009 Madonna calendar. Now you know.
All New Music Releases - November 18th, 2008
Bil Browning over at Bilerico has written a post called "Three Things That Made Me Cry Today." Number One on his list is this:
Mexican Is The New GayMexican has been the new black for quite some time now. I honestly cannot tell you how many times I have heard nasty comments about Mexicans, directed at me, in the past year. Here are a few that come to mind:
. . . I was flirting with a guy online; he's latino. I asked him where he was from and he said, "I'm from Mexico. I hope that's okay." Okay? Okay!?
Apparently, if gay is the new black, Mexican is the new gay. Does this damned merry-go-round ever stop? Why would it not be okay what country he was from? France, Japan, Mexico or East Timor? I just can't imagine what it must be like to follow it up with, "I hope that's okay."
Maybe it's just seeing the whole "Blame The Blacks" meme whip through the queer community recently, but I'm feeling really sick about some of the overt racism that's floated through my world lately.
"You better watch out, or you're going to look Mexican!"
"You know how those Mexicans breed."
"I went to California, and everywhere you looked it was fucking Mexicans, Mexicans, Mexicans!"
"You're Mexican? No, no, you mean you're Spanish."
And every time I hear one of these little gems, the first thing I think is, "What would my mother think of me if I didn't say something right now?" One of my friends said I was an angry half-Mexican. And you know what? He's right. It pisses me off that people who know better feel safe spouting bigotry to me, in front of me. Replace "Mexican" in the comments above with any other minority of your choice to see how violent it feels. "You better watch out or you're going to look black!" Or "You know how those Jews breed." Or "You're black? No, no, you mean you're white." I went to California and everywhere I looked it was faggots, faggots, faggots!" Yeah. It makes me feel queasy, too.
I went to breakfast on Sunday with a friend. While we were eating, a little Mexican boy and a little Mexican girl around 9 and 10, probably the children of the adults working there, kept refilling our coffee cups and water glasses. They were so cute, and they reminded me of two of my nephews and nieces. Each time they came back to our table, I kept wondering if they both dreamed of being President. You know what? I hope they do, but I doubt it. They hear from every conceivable arena that Mexicans are less than everyone else, that Mexicans are part of the American servant class.
I've written about this before, but with so much discussion surrounding gays and racism, I feel obligated to say something about this. How many times did I hear people on Fire Island make gagging sounds when the idea of sleeping with an Asian man came up in conversation? Or how about that Pines council member who told me, on a weekend that Kevin Aviance was performing, that it was "getting to be too . . . urban" and something had to be done?And then all this anti-Mormon talk. By gay people! It is a merry-go-round, and we do keep going round and round, but I can't help but think it's because we love the ride.
I'm having some pretty major internet issues. Getting them worked out. Will be posting as soon as it gets sorted out.
Wake Up With These!
The Rachel Maddow Show:
Okay, Arianna Huffington guest-hosted for Rachel Maddow last night. I think we can all agree that Arianna's performance is another reason to love Huck Maddow.
The New York Times:
NYT The Front Page 11/18
NYT The Science Times 11/18
NPR
Tell Me More
Stories: 1) Obama's New Rules Have Some Lobbyist Concerned 2) Public vs. Private Schooling: Is There A Wrong Answer? 3) Election Inspires Minority Leaders To Aim High 4) In Your Ear: Vernon Jordan 5) What Michelle Obama Is Giving Up
Audio player after the jump. Or click here to launch the player in a new window so you can listen while you browse. Or, head over to The Media Bar and listen there.
Music Video:
Beyonce and Beyonce and Justin Timberlake
"Single Ladies" (1:56)
This is the real video mixed with the SNL parody.
Watch them all after (you guessed it) the jump.
Movies:
First trailer for the new Star Trek. I was never really a Trekkie (except maybe Voyager), and yeah, it's kind of geeky of me, but it's JJ Abrams. Remember Lost? And how gay is that EW cover.
Get gay and geeky with me after the jump.
Politics:
Obama's First YouTube Fireside Chat. With all the Prop 8 information coming in, I didn't get a chance to watch this until last night! I thought maybe some of you missed it, too.
I feel like we're going to be referring to our President-elect as "Papa Obama" by the end of the year. "Papa," we'll ask, "what do you think should be done about GM?" Feels kind of natural.
Watch after the jump!
Television:
Now, I am one of nine people in the United States who know that Bonnie Hunt has a daytime TV talk show. So imagine how surprised I was when I saw that not only was Madame Secretary Hillary Clinton on the Bonnie Hunt Show, she was on the Bonnie Hunt Show doing a "Gypsy" tribute. (Honest to God, for the first 6 seconds I was convinced it was her!)(00:24)
Watch after the jump!
Before I announce the winner of today's Lady's Brunch Burger Award (the LBBA), I need to once again give thanks to Paula Deen, that evil culinary genius. Without her brilliantly devious recipe for her non-delicious, non-nutritious, 1200-calorie Lady's Brunch Burger, I would have no Award to give! Many say Paula's cooking is unhealthy, but not me. I say it's genius. Paula is a provocateur. Paula is subversive. Paula's creations are edible social commentary that she dares you to eat! I hear you, Paula. I hear you.
Today's LBBA recipient! From her very own bio!
[She] is the president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy (www.iMAPP.org), whose motto is "strengthening marriage for a new generation" and whose unique mission is research and public education on ways that law and public policy can strengthen marriage as a social institution. [Except she thinks gays should be excluded.]Who is this happily married bigot? Who is the family-oriented hypocrite? Find out after the jump!
She is a nationally syndicated columnist, the author of three books on marriage (including most recently with University of Chicago Prof Linda Waite "The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better-Off Financially"), and a leading voice of the new marriage movement. National Journal named her to the 2004 list of the most influential people in the same-sex marriage debate. [She has been one of the major secular voices opposing gay marriage.]
She appears frequently on major TV and radio and is frequently asked to lecture at colleges, universities and law schools. She has testified as an expert witness on marriage before the U.S. Senate and in various state legislatures. Her writings on marriage have appeared in The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as scholarly journals such as the Louisiana Law Review, and the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy.
She is a graduate of Yale (class of ’82). She lives with her husband and two children in Westchester, New York.
It's Maggie Gallagher!
That's right. Mrs. Gallager gets three Lady's Brunch Burgers! And let's face it, this won't be Mrs. Gallagher's first Lady's Brunch Burger. Or her last.
You can listen to her in all of her nonsensible hysteria as she screams at Michelangelo Signorile below:
It's that time of the day, folks. After gaying it up all day here at AKA William, it was time to turn for a moment (just a moment!) to the larger world. So, here is a list of today's Top 10 Google searches:
1. mamma.com
2. mark cuban
3. mark cuban insider trading
4. scooping
5. eliving
6. johnjay and rich
7. bixby letter
8. momma.com
9. 60 minutes interview with obama
10. not evil just wrong
11. wanda sykes married
Damn. I googled "mamma.com" and killed four birds with one stone: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The SEC says it has charged Mark Cuban with insider trading in shares of Mamma.com" 1, 2, 3, and 8. People are still insider-trading after Martha?
Number 6? "johnjay and rich" you ask? Yeah. It was all about Carrie Moten. She works at a Tucson radio station. "Working Moms: Carrie Moten104.7 KISS FM Carrie Moten, a radio personality with the Johnjay and Rich Show, tells us about the benefits of her job in radio and the flexibility is gives her to work and take care of her kids." There was something about her being naked, but I couldn't find anything. Not that I looked all that hard. I mean, this is "all kinds of gay." Not "all kinds of straight." I wasn't feeling sufficiently inspired.
Number 7? The Bixby Letter is a letter that was written by Lincoln to a mother of five sons who died in the Civil War. A copy of the letter may have been found in Dallas. Funny how Lincoln keeps cropping up now that Obama and his "Team of Rivals" is up and coming. Go Hillary!
"not evil just wrong?" Some right-wing anti-climate-change documentary being promoted by that closeted homosexualist, Matt Drudge
And I personally have a video of Number 9 right here on AKA William because that's how Top 10 I am - Obama's 60 Minutes interview.
I had to cheat a little bit to get some real good gayness going on, but only a little. Today it's the "Top 11."Did you see 11? Yup, our amazing Wanda Sykes is breaking gay googling records!
And, if anyone can explain "scooping" please do because, I mean, I have no idea what it means. It sounds dirty, but I'm going to need some proof.
Cynthia Nixon on Larry King (guest-hosted by Joy Behar) talks Prop 8
(I'm a little behind on getting this one up, but I did want to get it up. Contrast this to Tammy Lynn's Oprah debacle.)
This guy is married to one of the stars of Ugly Betty. I don't know which one. Don't really care.Prince decides he doesn't like gay sex
This weekend's top 10
Via Box Office Mojo
1) Quantum of Solace $70,400,000
2) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $36,130,000
3) Role Models $11,710,000
4) High School Musical 3: Senior Year $5,879,000
5) Changeling $4,247,000
6) Zack and Miri Make a Porno $3,200,000
7) Soul Men $2,428,000
8) The Secret Life of Bees $2,400,000
9) Saw V $1,790,000
10) The Haunting of Molly Hartley $1,649,000
Out Magazine had its annual Out 100 Party. It looks like it was fun. From here.FiveThirtyeight's Nate Silver gets a few tips on how to be more . . . camera-ready
You are 80% less likely to die from a meteor landing on your head if you wear a bicycle helmet all day.
Helmet up, boys and girls, if you know what's good for you
SF artist wants to cyborgize herself and install camera in her fake eyeBattlestar Galactica finally gets some man-on-man action. For the 17 of us who still watch this once best show on TV, the long, dry wait is over! The gay characters, who apparently are regulars, better be Anders and Apollo.
After the successes (and failures) of the past few weeks of Proposition 8, everyone is asking "What's next?" From Join The Impact, the group of dedicated people who coordinated the National Protest Day - The Day Without A Gay:
The worldwide media attention surrounding our massive grassweb efforts for gay rights has been tremendous. Join the Impact was a HUGE success and will continue to thrive because of our efforts.I won't be calling in sick, though! I'll be right here.
We've reacted to anti-gay ballot initiatives in Californaia, Arizona Florida, and Arkansas with anger, with resolve, and with courage. NOW, it's time to show America and the world how we love.
Gay people and our allies are compassionate, sensitive, caring, mobilized, and programmed for success. A day without gays would be tragic because it would be a day without love.
On December 10, 2008 the gay community will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes.
On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in "gay"--and donate your time to service!
Former gay and current crazy James Hartline (who bears a striking resemblance to the almost-as-crazy preacher from "Poltergeist 2" - see above and try to guess which one is which) is blaming the gays for the fires stampeding across Southern California:
Each time homosexual activists attempt to force their agenda on California, there have been raging, massive, incinerating fires sweeping across the California landscape.The San Diego lunatic who, according to his website, is doing everything he can to save his city, "from fighting illegal porn stores to exposing the corruption within the homosexual agenda, James is being used to confront the powers of darkness in San Diego, California" also has a book out so that we can "now read the amazing life and death struggle James Hartline fought to leave the homosexual lifestyle."
Today, people are running for their lives as 800 California homes have burned down and the firestorm is spreading like a nuclear holocaust. Yet, the radical homosexual anarchists rampage upon the streets of this state demanding the destruction of marriage and family, and the establishment of their socialistic dark vision for society.
. . . They Would Not Listen -- And Now We Are Burning!
They shook their fists at God and said, "We don't care what God says, we will issue our legal brief to support gay marriage in San Diego!" Then Mayor Jerry Sanders mocked the Christian vote and signed off on this rebellious legal document to support same-sex marriage.
And then the streets of La Jolla under the Mt. Soledad Cross began to cave in. They shook their fists at God and said, "We don't care what the Bible says, We want the California school children indoctrinated into homosexuality!"
Could you imagine? I really think James and medavog, the stellar gay San Diego reporter ("The Berlin Wall, to name a few") whose startling Prop 8 documentary has forever changed my view of the world, should hang out and have a nice chat. I kind of hope medavog's real name is Carol Ann.
Pink News is reporting that given the state of the nation, the ban on gays in the militar will likely not be a priority for the new administration:
A group that campaigns to repeal a ban on openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in the US Armed Forces has said it does not expect the new Obama administration to deal with the issue as soon as it takes power.More after the jump.
. . . Given that 75% of the American public have said they want the repeal of the ban on gays in the military, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it would seem an obvious choice for early attention from the new administration.
However, a spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network, a group that campaigns for an end to the ban, told Metro Weekly:
"There is a very full agenda for President-elect Obama, and we know we will not be first in line.
"To be successful in eliminating the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, we need a partnership between the White House, Congress and our military leaders.
. . . In an interview with Gay History Project in September, Senator Obama said he would not use the office of President to abolish [Don't Ask, Don't Tell].
"I want to make sure that when we revert "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it's gone through a process and we've built a consensus or at least a clarity of that, of what my expectations are, so that it works," he said.
"My first obligation as the President is to make sure that I keep the American people safe and that our military is functioning effectively.
"Although I have consistently said I would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be.
"That's how we were able to integrate the Armed Services to get women more actively involved.
"At some point, [you've] got to make a decision that that's the right thing to do, but you always want to make sure that you are doing it in a way that maintains our core mission in our military."
Of course, as soon as I posted "Separate Is Not Equal" I came across this post on Pam's House Blend that shows it's not all doom and gloom on the race front:
I wore a t-shirt that read "I'm a Victim of H8" to the car wash. As I was waiting for my car, a young African American man walked up to me, motioned to my t-shirt, and said, "I didn't vote for that."This is exactly opposite of my experience, and it's heartening to know that when we extend a hand, it will be grasped
I was somewhat surprised that this guy felt the need to approach me and let me know that he didn't vote for Prop. 8. Was he concerned about reports in the media about tension between LGBT people and the African American community?
"Thanks," I replied.
"No one I know voted for it either?" he added.
Okay, now I was certain where he wanted to go with the conversation.
"That's great," I said. "You know the majority of voters in Monterey County voted against it. Young voters like you were really against it."
"I just want to say that no one in my family voted for it. Not even the older ones. None of my friends did either. It is just wrong."
"Well, there's going to be a peaceful rally at Colton Hall today at 10:30. You should come if you're not busy. Bring your friends."
"(Laughs) Maybe my friends will come if I can tell them there will be attractive ladies there. You know what I mean?"
"I can promise that there will be lots of young ladies there -- attractive, straight young ladies. Bring a sign that says 'straight but not narrow' and you'll be very popular."
Then, he introduced himself as Shawn. We shook hands and chatted about a few other things as we waited for our cars to get dried off and polished.
I didn't see Shawn at the event later that day. I'm not sure if he was able to make it or not. If he arrived after that crowd got big and we began to march, I would not have been able to spot him.
However, there were quite a few African American folks at the event. Keep in mind that Monterey is very very white. So, it always amazes me that these rallies have such a diverse turnout.
This picture, which I took at the New York City National Day of Protest in front of City Hall, is far and away my favorite picture from that day and it visually sums up exactly what I felt that day.
In the foreground is my friend, actor Paul Stovall, an African-American man. He is standing in front of a sign that reads "Separate Is Not Equal." The sign is being held by a white woman. A white woman using the same language today that a black woman would have used fifty years ago. Who would have thought then that a white person today would have reason to use the exact same language to call for her own equal rights? It's stunning. Beautiful. This should be a powerful image of unity for all people who have struggled to obtain civil rights - black people, female people, brown people, gay people. People who have struggled separately finally coming together to fight for the larger, truer principle -- equality for all. That should be what this image represents. But it's not.
Instead, this picture is bizarre. Bizarre because, during the protest, Paul turned to me and said, "Someone forgot to invite the black people." The crowd was overwhelmingly white. 90 percent white. There were a few black people and a few brown people scattered through the crowd. In New York City. I overheard someone next to me say, "This looks like a circuit party." Bizarre because, there we all were, demanding to be treated equal, demanding to be included, demanding our civil rights, using the language of other minorities who have fought the same fight before us while those people were nowhere in sight! Bizarre because something is very wrong when we demonstrate that we know we have all gone through the same struggle but then don't fight together.
Only one person of color gave a speech. The other speechmakers said the people of color who were scheduled to speak couldn't make it. Separate is not equal, and separate is not united. And separate won't win this fight.
The protest in NYC last Wednesday and the national protests on Saturday were exactly the same. Something is wrong here. I have one question: Why is this fight for civil rights, this fight in particular, such a white fight?
I went to the New York City National Day of Protest. I will be posting pics and my take next, but I wanted to get this up now. Above is a compilation video of some of the speakers. There were a lot of inspiring speakers, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, U.S. Rep. Anthony Wiener, Assembly member Danny O’Donnell, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Marriage Equality New York’s Kathy Marino Thomas, Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle, former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model” and out lesbian Kim Stoltz, poet Emanuel Xavier and others.
But, for my money, the best speaker was Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle. Yup, Miss America gave a smart, moving, exceptional speech that, in effect, reminded us to that reason and tolerance (and I do mean "tolerance" - meaning "you don't have to like it, but you do have to put up with it") are required on all sides of this battle and will go a long way in winning the war because, as she said, "This is no less than the greatest civil rights battle of our generation!" You can hear part of her speech above. The full audio can be heard here (about 4 minutes long).
Everywhere I turn I find evidence that we have no real leader. Tammy Lynn Michaels is our voice? Jasmyne Cannick is our civil rights spokesmodel? The HRC has, as Andrew Sullivan pointed out, has been almost entirely absent these past few weeks:
You will notice that the website of the biggest gay rights group in the country has one single mention - it's a blog about a celebrity, of course - of the massive protests that occurred for marriage equality across the country yesterday. (A letter from Joe Solmonese tells us to be nice.) You will also notice that a handful of young non-professionals were able to organize in a few days what HRC has been incapable of doing in months or years. You will know from brutal experience that in the two decades of serious struggle for marriage equality, the Human Rights Campaign has been mostly absent, and when present, often passive or reactive. Here's a simple statistic that might help shake us out of complacency: HRC claims to have spent $3.4 million on No On 8. The Mormon church was able to spend over $20 million, by appealing to its members. Why are non-gay Mormons more capable of organizing and fund-raising on a gay rights measure than the biggest national gay rights group? I mean: they claim (absurdly, but bear with me) 725,000 supporters and members. In the summer, the major problem for No On 8 was insufficient early funding. If HRC had led, they could have thrown their money weight behind it. If every supporter had given $20 - chump change for the biggest ever battle yet for civil rights - they could have delivered $14 million overnight. So why didn't they?The two people who have been our best voices are Michelangelo Signorile and Wanda Sykes. All of our spokespeople are leading us by default. Where is our Harvey Milk? Where is our generation's Larry Kramer?
Via Joe.My.God.
KTVU reports:
SAN FRANCISCO -- In San Francisco's Castro District, people on both sides of the same-sex marriage controversy confronted each other on Friday night, as police tried to keep the peace. Proposition 8 passed in a close vote and eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry.The Justice House of Prayer posted the above video on YouTube under their username "IntolerantPeople" with claims that gay men kicked and sexually assaulted them during the melee.
Members of the gay community said that almost every Friday night, a Christian group meets at the corner of Castro and 18th Streets. They try to convert gays and lesbians into a straight lifestyle.
This Friday night, the message didn't go over well. Some gays and lesbians reacted by trying to chase the group out of the Castro.
"Their rights were respected," said Joe Schmitz, an opponent of Prop 8. "They got a chance to go ahead and pray on the sidewalk and I had the opportunity to express my freedom of speech which is telling them to get out of my neighborhood."
San Francisco Police officers in riot gear formed a line and escorted the religious group into a van to safely get them out of the area.
. . . Supporters of Prop 8 include the Mormon and Catholic churches. They say the passage of the measure was the will of the people and that they are being unfairly targeted.
Don Eaton, the public affairs representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints in the Bay Area said, "The church only encourages people to vote their conscience. The church also reminded us what our doctrine is with regards to marriage between a man and a woman." He also said that some members of the church gave money to the No on 8 campaign, and they weren't punished by the church.
A non-profit group called the Equal Justice Society joined the legal battle against Prop 8 on Friday. It and the NAACP, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and Mexican American Legal Defense jointly filed a lawsuit. They are asking the California Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 8, arguing that it takes away civil rights.
"People of color need to stand up for the LGBT community," said Eva Paterson of the Equal Justice Society. "We think civil rights groups that represent people of color say it's very dangerous for the California electorate to take away constitutionally guaranteed rights."
It was the first time we'd been back in the Castro to do our normal outreach since California Proposition 8, which defined marriage as "one man with one woman" was passed. We played the guitar and sang together and worshiped the Lord. After just singing and worshiping God for a while, Roger decided that we should all hold hands in a circle and continue singing. So we did. Someone (Actually a person who came up and hugged and kissed some of us who he knew from the past) convinced some people that we were there to protest against the no on 8 campaign.More after the jump.
Then some guy who was dressed up like one of the sisters (The sisters of perpetual indulgence is a group of men who dress up like nuns and call themselves the spiritual authority of the Castro.) took a curtain-type thing (Which I think they use to curse people) and wrapped it around us. Then a crowd started gathering. We began to sing "Amazing Grace", and basically sang that song the whole night. (At some points we also sang "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" and "Oh the Blood of Jesus".)
At first, they just shouted at us, using crude, rude, and foul language and calling us names like "haters" and "bigots". Since it was a long night, I can't even begin to remember all of the things that were shouted and/or chanted at us. Then, they started throwing hot coffee, soda and alcohol on us and spitting (and maybe even peeing) on us. Then, a group of guys surrounded us with whistles, and blasted them inches away from our ears continually. Then, they started getting violent and started shoving us.
At one point a man tried to steal one of our Bibles. Chrisdene noticed, so she walked up to him and said "Hey, that's not yours, can you please give it back?". He responded by hitting her on the head with the Bible, shoving her to the ground, and kicking her. I called the cops, and when they got there, they pulled her out of the circle and asked her if she wanted to press charges. She said "No, tell him I forgive him." Afterwards, she didn't rejoin us in the circle, but she made friends with one of the people in the crowd, and really connected heart to heart.
Roger got death threats. As the leader of our group, people looked him in the eyes and said "I am going to kill you.", and they were serious. A cop heard one of them, and confronted him. (This part is kinda graphic, so you should skip the paragraph if you don't want to be offended.) It wasn't long before the violence turned to perversion. They were touching and grabbing me, and trying to shove things in my butt, and even trying to take off my pants - basically trying to molest me. I used one hand to hold my pants up, while I used the other arm to hold one of the girls. The guys huddled around all the girls, and protected them.
Soon after, the cops came and stood between us and the mob. When it was getting more heated, the cops were like "You guys should leave." and Roger said "We want to stay." Someone tried to steal my backpack, but I tapped a cop on the shoulder, and said "Hey, that's my bag." and he got it from him and gave it to me. Others weren't so lucky. Probably half our team got their jackets stolen.
Eventually, as the crowd was getting more and more uncontrollable, the cops were afraid for our lives, so they escorted us to our van. (The cops were very nice to us from start to finish.) Our van was parked pretty far because it was hard to find parking that day. As the cops escorted us, the mob followed us, until the cops formed a line, and held off the people so we could drive away. We took the long way home, just in case anyone tried to follow us.
When we got home, we prayed and sang more, and then prayed over each-other. Please know my heart. All of what we do is for the Love of Jesus Christ, and the love for those in the Castro. The Bible says to love God, and then love people. We can only love because He loved us first. We can't hate the people because they are just broken and blinded by the spirit of this age. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities and Powers. It's not a political thing, we just love the people.